The Dark Side Of The Moon
by phantomgirl113
Summary: Not every thing is what it appears, there is no such thing as complete good or complete evil...The truth will soon be known to all and a dark begotten past shall come to life all will know the war's dark secret. Sequel to Skies of Blood
1. Chapter 1 Message

N/A: I do not own Storm hawks

This kind of came out of the reviews for skies of blood so pleases go read it before you read this story, but if you don't want to that is fine too… by the way I am looking for a Bata reader is if you are interested pleases let me know.

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The young Storm hawk was busily working on fixing the Air Skimmer III Ultra, which had been damaged in the last battle.

"Damn Talons", he muttered as he worked getting oil all over himself. The black haired youth was making a big show out of glaring at the spilled oil, as a tall red head came in to the hanger bay.

"Hey Ace," greeted the man he held a package in one hand and a mug of something hot in the other.

" Oh, Hi Axel what is today's mission?" asked the teen trying to clean his hands of the oil.

"Nothing big, just some recon on Terra Amazonia, and by the way Ace this came for you this morning,' he said gesturing to the package in his hand.

"Who's it from," inquire Ace now standing to face his leader.

" HMM… It does not say but it was delivered here by a Red-tailed hawk, hey how bout I leave it in your room until you get cleaned up, Ok?" Said Axel now smirking down on his co-pilot.

"Yeah sure" said Ace looking upon himself, he really needed a bath now.

"That's the spirit," said the Storm hawk leader putting his mug down so that he could ruffled Ace's hair but made sure not to get any oil on himself.

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Ace finished the last of the repairs then walked to the bathroom, when he got there he noticed that there was a line.

"COME ON WOMAN, ya been in there all freaking day", yelled Max the sharpshooter. He was a Tall and handsome man and had away with the ladies (By that I mean the girl would beat the living daylights out of him.)

"Shut up Max, a girl has to keep up her appearances you know", shot back Emma the mission specialist and stealth expert. She was one of the most beautiful people in the Atmos but if you got on her bad side there was very little that could save your sorry hide.

"What a fucking bitch", mumbled Max under his breath.

"What was that Max!?" Retorted Emma.

"Nothing," said Max abruptly.

"I thought as much," said she now steeping out of the washroom.

Both Emma and Max looked at Ace and said, " what the hell happened to you!"

Ace dropped his head in defeat.

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Terra Amazonia was alive with wildlife, some of it known wail other parts of it had yet to be discovered.

"All right Hawks the council thinks that there are Talons somewhere here on this terra, they want us to take a little look then report back," said Axel in a strong authoritarian voice, " and if there are any to get rid of them before they set up anything that understood?"

"Yes sir," said all Storm hawks present.

"All right then, Max you and Emma take the north, Bruce will take the east,". (Bruce the strongman of the squad, he was a rough gritty person but he had a big heart) "I will take the south and Ace I want you to take the east is that ok with you?"

Ace smiled and said " That's fine with me sir". He was starting to get some respect in the squadron and that made him very happy.

"Good now remember to stay in radio contact at all times, keep your eyes open; and report on anything that looks strange oh, and one more thing watch your backs out there, now Move out!"

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Ace walked along a path that was mostly eaten up by vegetation, he had been at it for an hour or so and still nothing.

"I have not fond anything, this area is clear, over," he said speaking in to the radio. Just then out of no where something knocked the radio out of Ace's hand.

"Ace come in, what happened Ace," shouted Axel's voice over the radio.

Ace looked over to see three Talons armed with energy staffs all of whom where aimed right at him. He dodged the shots fired at him. Getting himself in to striking range he gave one of the Cyclonians a good hard roundhouse kicked to the face as he simultaneously brought his elbow down on the second talons back. _'two down one to go'_ thought Ace as the two Talons he had just defeated ran away. The last Talon was getting ready to fire on him, but Ace was faster. The Storm hawk ran forward and did a back flip that knocked the weapon out of the Talon's hand. The Talon acted fast and tried to kick Ace in the gut, but he missed as Ace drew back just in time. Landing on the balls of his feet, he jumped back so to put space between him and his opponent. Ace noted that the Talon knew some Sky fu and that he was very skilled at it, as the Talon got into a ready stands than without wasting any time lunged forward at Ace.

The two traded punches and kicks, blocking and attacking the other. Just then Ace got in a lucky punch to the Talon's face. His head gear and goggle falling to the ground. To Ace's shook it turned out that the talon was not a he but a she, she had magenta hair and yellow eyes that where so full of hostility that it made the lava pits of the wastelands look like frozen ice ponds. She lunged at Ace once more but this time he was ready. He kicked her right arm so hard that he heard her bones break. She jumped back and clutched her injured arm, at that same moment the rest of the Storm hawks came in.

"Well look what we have here," said Max as he aimed his weapon at the girl Talon. The talon bared her teeth at the Sky knights.

" If you come quietly we will not harm you, but however if you decide to fight us I can not guarantee your wellbeing," said Axel. All of a sudden some one fire two blasts at the ground that sent the Sky knights scattering .

"Sis," yelled a boy on a Talon Helli-blade, he grab the girls good arm then flew off, the whole time the female Talon scowled evilly at Ace.

" Ace are you ok" asked Axel but before Ace could say any thing Max yelled

"Way to go Ace, you just kicked some major Cyclonian Ass, you did great kid".

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It was late and the Storm hawks where celebrating Ace's victory over the Talons. Ace himself was happily enjoying the party that his friend and squad mats had set up for him. After the party he whet back to his room as he was feeling tired. He opened the door to his room and saw the package laying on his bed. After today events he had forgot about the pack entirely. So he picked it up and opened it ….. TO BE CONTINUED

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The fight seen was total stole from some Kung Fu flick XD


	2. Chapter 2 Conspiracy

N/A: I do not own storm hawks

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The dark side of the moon Ch2 conspiracy

It was late and the Storm hawks where celebrating Ace's victory over the Talons. Ace himself was happily enjoying the party that his friends and squad mates had set up for him. After the party he whet back to his room as he was feeling tired. He opened the door to his room and saw the package lying on his bed. After today's events he had forgot about the package entirely. So he picked it up and opened it, inside was a letter and a large stack of papers that looked more like a college senior's research report. He looked at the signature and recognized it, as his aunt and childhood caretaker Aggness, he picked up the letter and began to read,

_Dear Ace, _

_Before you read a another sentence of this letter make positively sure that you are alone and what ever you do, DO NOT read this out loud!!_

Ace got up then closed and locked his door; Aggness had always been 'a bit' paranoid, but she was the only family he knew so he sat back down and continued to read,

_By the time you read this I will no longer be in the realm of the living, and you may be in very grave danger. My time is short and I can not go into detail, but this is about my life's work, the documents behind this message are all I have. Mon trésor I am sorry to have handed you my heavy burden but you are the only one I have to turn to. I hope you will understand with time my most beloved nephew please find it in your heart to forgive me._

_-Aggness _

_P.S. Be careful in who you trust, Not every thing is what it appears._

'Was this some kind of sick joke?' he thought now holding up the large stack and skimmed through it, but he soon fond out that he could not comprehend the document. The words seemed to be jumbled up in random a order that made absolutely no sense what so ever.

" This is not real, it is nothing more then a joke," he said, "Axel and the others are just trying to test me." That whole night Ace did not get a wink of sleep his mind kept going back to Aggness's note.

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The next morning everyone was exhausted as they had been up way to late the night before. but when you are a Storm hawk that did not matter, you still had to pull your own weight. As for Ace that was easier said then done.

"Ace, is there something bothering you?" asked Axel genuinely worried about his teammate as all ace was doing that day was staring off into space.

" No, I'm fine Axel, just a bit tired," Ace lied and hoped that Axel would believe him.

" Are you sure, because if this is about yesterdays mission I fully understand," said the leader now putting a strong hand on Ace's shoulder.

" No really I am fine," said Ace .

" Now come on I saw how you looked at that talon girl, she'll be ok, it looked as if she had some one to watch her back," Ace looked at his leader, he really did not get anything. Axel was a very kind person and a great leader; but when it came to kids he was slow, Atmos forbid that the man ever have any.

"Yeah …. Thanks Axel," said Ace trying to be considerate, like he needed to think about Talons right now. Just then a skimmer baring the insignia of the Sky Knight council pulled up in to the Condor's hanger bay the rider dismounted and walked up to the two Hawks.

" I am sorry for the intrusion, but I must speak to the co-pilot Ace, are you him?" ask the messenger looking over at Ace.

" Yeah that's me" said the teen slightly confused .

" Then I am truly sorry to inform that your aunt has recently been murdered."

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The wake and the funeral was to be held on Terra Atmosia, as was the custom everyone dressed in black. Ace stood and greeted the guests as they came to pay their final respects, many of them where historians or some other form of scholar. The whole time Ace was there he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched by some invisible force, he looked to the back to see what he thought was an outline of a small child but dismissed it as his eyes playing tricks on him.

As the funeral procession moved outside someone yelled out, "Talons on the wall, Talons on the wall." All panicked and looked up to see two Cyclonians running a long the wall that surrounded the cemetery. Ace and a few guards took chase but found their efforts where in vain as the Talons jumped on their switchblades, they soon where dots on the horizon in just a matter of seconds. As they retreated Ace could have sworn that one of the Talons had a cast on his arm.

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Aggness's inheritance was not much but it was just enough to pay off the funeral and any other final expenses that where left behind. Ace walked back to his hotel, it was nighttime and he had just finished paying off the funeral home for their services. He noticed a dark figure walking behind him. Was he being followed? He thought and decided to test that theory.

Ace slowly began to pick up speed until he was in a full running pace; he looked behind to see the dark figure was doing the same. The figure chased him half way a crossed the terra until Ace jumped in to a dark alleyway. He watched silently the figure ran passed him, Ace then waited a few moments before going back to the hotel.

At the hotel he stopped and for some reason his gut told him to hide and so he pressed him up against a wall that was deep in the shadows.

"Axel what is this about?" said Emma as Axel pull her over to him.

" It's about Ace," answered Axel

"What about him?" asked Emma starting to get annoyed

" The council thinks that he is working with the Talons but it is not confirmed yet," said the Sky Knight his voice serious

" But why would the council think such a thing," said the stealth expert her eye wide.

" It is because Aggness was, that is why they had to kill her," he said giving what the council had already told him.

"You don't think that Ace would…", she but was cut off by Axel, " I don't know Ema, but if this is true we'll have to kill him."

"Axel why are you telling me this," Emma asked.

"Because you're the only one who can keep a secrete"

………… TO BE CONTINUED ……………


	3. Chapter 3 Betrayed

N/A: I do not own Storm hawks

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Ace could not believe his ears; was Aggness a Talon spy, did the council actually think he would do a thing like that. But those things where not what made him the most afraid, the thing that made him the most afraid was, did his squad really intend to kill him. He felt himself slide to the floor, for the first time in his life he did not know what to do. His world was just turned upside down and there was nothing he could do about it. He was all alone, as his eyes filled with tears he pulled on his black hair, the last sentence of Aggness's letter ran in his mind '_Be careful in who you trust, Not every thing is what it appears'. _What did that mean any way? He took a deep breath and cleared his mind, he known Aggness for as long as he had been alive. Drying his eyes he realized that Aggness would never work for Cyclonia, 'but maybe the talons forced her' he thought.

"No, she would have been to strong for that," he said now looking at the other most logical possibility, "The council lied" he whispered into the dark. The words themselves felt ominous and foreign to him, but they seemed to fit. But why would the council kill Aggness and why did they want him dead. He brought out Aggness's letter and began to read again until he came to the line "…_but this is about my life's work, the documents behind this message…"_

They didn't want her to publish her research, but she found out and so she sent it to him. Now they where after him, things where starting to add up, Aggness was a historian that was studying the war and how it started, she must have come upon something the council did not want any one to know about, and he was going to find out what that was. Putting the letter way he stood up and said "No mercy," this would later on become his battle cry.

The week after the funeral passed, ever night Axel and Emma would meet to discuss Ace's fate and ever night ace would sit in the shadows and spy on them. It was now clear to him that the council had more power then he had first thought; they could turn a squadron against one of it own. To Ace a squadron was more then just your teammates or your friends it was like your family, that was something Axel had bred into him.

Right from the night after the hotel things kept growing and growing, until it came to this point. According to Axel the council had finally validated that Ace work for the talons and that he need to be eliminated. During the same time Axel and Emma had pulled the rest of the squad (minus Ace) on board and so now Ace really did not have any one turn to for him it was now kill or be killed, survival of the fittest.

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The Rex guardians had put out an all channels distress signal, and the only squadron that was close enough to help was the Storm Hawks. At first Axel did not want to help, as he had a 'Talon spy' on board, but the Guardians where in dire need of assistance. So after much concretion he gathered up his team and took to the sky. He brought Ace along, thinking that there was no way that the boy knew of the meeting that he and the rest of the crew had the night before, but that would turn out to be a fatal mistake on his part.

Ace knew this was his only chance, but he was still uncertain about what he had to do. If he did not take this risk then he would most definitely be killed that night. He had hid Aggness's letter and her research under his uniform, it was all he had. There was nothing there on the _Condor_ for him any more, but he could not let that bother him right now. It was now or never, Axel had his back turned to him. Ace ever so quietly unsheathed his own blade and activated it. The sound of the crystal powering up the weapon made Axel start to turn, but before he could Ace stabbed him in the back. The blade wheat completely through the others body, with the tip sticking out of the man's chest.

As warm blood dripped from the tip of the sword on to the Skimmer's control panel Axel said his final words " A- Ace … you … traitor."

"Who betrayed who Axel," said Ace kicking the dying man into the wastelands.

" ACE YOU FUCKING LITTLE BASTARD," yelled max as he took fire at Ace who blocked all of the shots. After doing some death deifying aerial maneuvers Ace was able to place himself on Max's ride and then slaied the sharpshooter before he could retaliate.

Now on the newly obtained sky ride he wheat after Bruce and Emma. The _Condor _was soon shot down by one of the Cyclonian battle cruisers that was in the area.

Later on Ace stood before the royal court of Cyclonia, all most of the talon guards that were standing in the room watched fearfully as Ace bowed before their ruler as he welcomed the Sky knight traitor into his Talon army. The boy covered in the blood of his former squadron was now officially a Talon.

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Three-day's after the defeat of the Storm Hawks, Ace sat in the back of the giant room that served as the Talon dining hall. He was not surprised to see that everyone stayed away from him, after all he was just label the traitor to the Atmos, not that he wanted to set with them any way. The Talon social pecking order was the same as any war dominated society; the strongest were at the top and the weakest at the bottom. And the strongest where a magenta haired girl and a dark blue haired boy, their names where Ravess and Snipe. The girl Ravess he had found out was the female talon he had fought on Terra Amazonia, as she had a cast on her right arm. The boy Snipe was Ravess's brother and had way more brawn then he had brains. Both where two of the most likely candidates of becoming Talon commanders one day; but that was before Ace came along, now it looked like that might not happen as how they would like it to be. Now not only where the siblings out for revenge on Ravess's arm but also they had to protect their future in Master Cyclonis's military.

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After finishing his meal he went to the library. Maybe he could break Aggness's code there, but after two and half-hours breaking it was looking pretty bleak. Ace slammed his head down on the desk he was getting no where on his own, but was breaking the code on his own, is what Aggness intended in the first place. He had been trying to break it since the day after the funeral and had gotten nowhere.

"Hey I Know, who you are," said a voice that sounded like it came from a small child. Ace jumped the looked down to see a small girl that only look five or six and was dressed in a cloak that bared the symbol of the Cyclonian royal family.

"What, "said Ace starred

"I Know, who you are," repeated the girl looking up at him with big purple eyes.


	4. Chapter 4 Code

N/A: I do not own Storm hawks

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"I Know, who you are," repeated the girl looking up at him with big purple eyes," I saw you at the funeral"

"Who are you," said Ace getting down on one knee as to get a better look at the small girl. Just then who should run in but Ravess and Snipe.

"Princess Lark", cried Ravess as she pulled the girl behind her, Snipe steeped infront of his sister and the princess. The two looked as if they had run around the terra ten times trying to find the girl. Ace stood to face the behemoth as Ravess kneeled down to see if the young child was hurt in any way.

"Princess, it is best if you stay a way from him, he's a murderer" said the older girl as her brother nodded in agreement with her. The small princess looked up at her guardians, they where the children of her father's most loyal commander and trusted friend. So after her mother died in the great Sky plague they were put in charge of her care, but she did not care much for them. It was not that she did not like them, it was that they were not of her same age group, and all the princess wanted in all the Atmos was a friend.

"Don't you recognize him, he is Aggness's nephew and her only family," said the girl. The young royal's servants first looked at their young master before looking at the black haired teen. Ravess's yellow hawk like eye scanned the boy's face trying to find any familiar features that he might have shared with the old historian. 'He could not possibly be related, could he' she thought.

" How do you know my aunt," questioned Ace with the most confused look on his face. He looked if a train had hit him, what was going on. His life just got stranger and stranger, and a person he thought he knew his whole life just became a total mystery to him. Just who was Aggness any way?

"SShhhh, not so loud," hiss the female talon as she pulled Ace across the room, " Snipe the wall." On his sister's command the juggernaut pushed on a wall and it began to move.

"You mean we're going," said Lark excitedly as all Ravess did was nod. The small child squealed happily and ran in to the dark secret passageway. Ravess then pulled a very bewildered ace in to the darkness as Snipe closed the 'wall' behind them.

A random Talon walked in to the library, he could have sworn he heard voices, just then yelling and screaming came from behind a wall. The talon jumped up in to the air, he then ran out the way he came. The whole time flapping his arms and yelling about ghosts and hunted libraries.

"Snipe you moronic idiot you forgot to get something to light the way," yelled Ravess

"Like how was I suppose to know we where going, it's all his fault any way," shouted Snipe pointing to where Ace would be in the darkness.

"How is this my fault, you two where the ones to drag me in here," protested Ace loudly after all, all he did was ask a question. And so the bickering and name-calling began. Lark smacked her head then shook it; she then decided that teenagers were totally useless. The girl then pulled out a crystal from her cloak and activated it, soon light filled the corridor. With the darkness ended so did the 'young adults' quarrel.

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At the end of the corridor was a room, Lark deactivated the crystal as Snipe and Ravess lit candles. Now that the room had some light it looked like a chamber one might find in an old castle.

Now with everyone siting down Ravess begun "Ace you said you want know how we know your aunt right?" Ace at first was taken back, did she use his name instead of the derogatory ones she had been using up to then, but he just nodded eagerly.

"First off Aggness never worked for Cyclonia Lark," she gestured to the girl, "just stumbled upon her one day." Ace was relived, after finding out that the three knew his aunt, he began worry that all he had done so far was for nothing. But that answer only opened up a new mystery. Lark soon began to tell how she had 'stumbled upon' Aggness.

(Flashback)

Three years ago the princess of Cyclonia pranced around the corridor, she had once again ditched her so-called caretakers. They probably would not know that she was missing for an hour or so. Giggling to herself the two really had to stop fighting, they where making it to easy for to her to cause them trouble. Just then she noticed a light coming from a room at the end of the hall, so she decided to go investigate. The girl was surprised to find that there was a woman inside. The woman was old and looked like some fairytale sorceresses. She had been siting and pondering over an ancient scroll, with a pen in hand.

"Why hello dear, said the woman getting up " Forgive me but I am Aggness and whom may I ask is it that I have the honor to make acquaintance with?"

"Lark the future rule of Cyclonia," said the princess arrogantly. The girl then noticed that the woman to whom she was speaking was not from her terra at all.

"Well then forgive me lady Lark I had no idea that I was going to be playing host to royalty," said Aggness bowing sincerely "is there any thing that you need, Milady?"

"Yes, to know what you are doing on my father's terra", demanded the girl "before I call the Talons to take you way."

"My, you are very smart," said the woman." For you see princess, I am a historian who is studying the war, I came to your terra in she search of information, so you need not call any guards as perhaps we can work out a trade?"

"What kind of trade" asked the princess inquisitively.

" I know much more then history, and perhaps I can teach you something that those crackpot scholars can not."

"And what may that be?"

" Why the arts Cryptography and Encryption."

(End of Flashback)

" It was not long after that, is when they showed up," said the princess obviously talking of her careless caretakers, Ravess and Snipe.


	5. Chapter 5 Blood

N/A: I do not own Storm hawks

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Dark side of the moon Chapter Five Blood

The young princess story took care of Ace's fear that his betrayal of his squadron and the council was all in vein. But now he had to wonder what information was Aggness after, and how in Atmos did the woman get in to Cyclonia in the first place. Aggness was not much of a fighter, in fact she did not even carry a weapon. Talons did not make the 'best' guards but still they should have been able to stop an old woman from passing on to the terra never mind into the royal palace. He pushed all of that to the back of his mind he could try to figure that out later but right now he had to see if the young royal could possibly break Aggness's code.

"Your highness I think you might want to look at this," said Ace the words feeling somewhat odd in his mouth as he pulled out the old scholar's work and gave it to the girl. Whom looked at it and grinned with excitement.

" What is it," asked Ravess her voice sounding something in between suspicion and curiosity. She had yet to trust him. He might have been related to Aggness but to her he was still a Sky Knight traitor and so could not be trusted.

When she had first met the woman three years ago she did not trust the historian at all either, but it was only after Lark convinced her that the woman was trustworthy and the fact that Aggness saved her life.

She had become sick with Cloud fever and the doctors could do nothing about it. She thought that she was not going to live but then Aggness came and took her to a physician on Terra Rex. After the man was convinced that Ravess was not a Talon but one of the historian's assistants he gave her an injection of medicine. With in twenty-four-hours she was doing a lot better and had found the old woman to be trustworthy.

"Hey, I want to see," said Snipe as he made his way over but he some how manage to trip and fall unceremoniously into his sister. Ravess was thrusted back into the present as Snipe fell on to her.

"SNIPE you blundering idiot, can't you even walk with out falling over," exclaimed Ravess irritated by her sibling's idiocy.

"Sorry Rav… what is this," he said removing a packet of folded papers from underneath the table.

"What's what," demanded the girl still furious over the accident.

Oblivious to the siblings Ace waited patiently for the young child's verdict on the manuscript, whatever message was hidden seemed to entertain the princess. After a few minutes passed the girl looked up at him and said, "I can decrypt this but it will take some time to do so."

" How long." He asked finally happy to have someone who could translate Aggness's work for him, perhaps this mystery was just about solve. But then what he had nowhere to go, surely the Atmos would not take him back, he could never return to being a co-pilot for a Sky Knight's squadron. Was he to be lost in the faceless sea that was Cyclonia?

"About two weeks, if I work on it every night," said Lark thoughtfully she had to keep any thing doing with Aggness with the utmost secrecy, as it was not consider very good to have the princess fraternizing with the 'enemy'.

"Princess," said Ravess holding up the paper that was hidden underneath the table, "It seems that Aggness left you with a gift. The now unfolded paper was a complete map of Cyclonia's unground passageway, yet another one of the historian's mysteries was solved. Now it was clear how she found her way in to the palace.

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The one thing most people did not know about Talons was that they where more political then one would ever think. In the Cyclonian army there where all ways three Talon high commanders, and right now the three where getting to old to do their duties. Now there are four candidates for the only three positions, they where Ravess, Snipe, Ace, and a man named Moss.

Moss was a very hefty person, and from a Cyclonian colony on Terra bayou, and had the accent to match. And he was not at first considered to be a good nominee for the top position, but since Ace showed up he began to find way to change this. Spreading rumors of an alliance between Ravess and her brother and the Sky Knight traitor, he then help to instill a fierce xenophobia with in the Talon ranks.

With that he slowly took the power base from right under Ravess and Snipe's feet, but the social peeking order still demanded that the strong rule the weak. Once again Moss had a strategy for that too, that was simply let others do the dirty work for him. As Talons flocked to him in droves, he waited for the right time to strike. The week before Ravess got her cast removed Moss put his plan into action.

To Ravess and her brother it was a normal day on Cyclonia, but as they enter the mess hall that was all about to change. They had just sat down when all hell broke louse. The two siblings where surrounded and had attacks coming at them from all sides, but they still managed to hold there own. Being heavily out number it was only a matter of time before they where run down, fortunately Ace walked in to the room.

He had wonder in after hearing a lot of noise and decided to investigate the source of the disturbance. When upon entering he was greeted with a 'friendly' punch to the face by a fellow Talon. The blow left a bruise on the right side of his face and it also left him in a very bad mood, and so with eyes full of rage he too joined in the fray. Needless to say the massive mess hall fight was completely over with in just a few minutes, and at the end there where only three people still standing, and it was those three that would become the next leaders of Cyclonia.

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Ace lay in his bed his body hurt all over. If one did not count the fight in the cafeteria it would have been an uneventful day. Just then he hared a knock on his door, groaning he sat up, crossed the room and opened the door. Where Ravess stood on the other side a worried look on her face.

"Ravess what," but before he could finish she interrupted him.

"Lark is missing," she said point blank, she did not sound like her herself she sounded more like a mother who had lost her child.

"What?" he said surprised but then he had to ask, "why come to me?" he knew that matters like this would have been broth to the high command not to lowly rank soldier like himself.

"I don't know who else to turn to," she said her voice low and eye staring at the ground. Just then she pulled a piece of parchment from her pocket she handed it to him and said, "this was found in the hidden chamber."

Ace read the following,

_If you want to see the_ _princess alive and well you will deliver the historian's last documents to me at the abandon runway facing the south by midnight or else._

"Ravess we'll finder I promise," said Ace putting a comforting hand on her solder, Ravess might not have been a friend of his, in fact he hated her, but he did owe Lark for her help. Garbing his sword he ran out with Ravess not far behind.

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"You might as well relax Princess, we still have four hours until show time," said a dark clad man. Lark glared daggers at her captor, as it was all she could do, being bond and gagged. Atmos help him if she got out of her restrains, because this was not how one should treat the Princess of Cyclonia!

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" Where's Snipe" ask Ace as he and Ravess ran down the empty corridor that lead to the library.

" Leading one of the search teams," she said being was in no state to lead any thing right now.

"Fine hold this," he said handing her the torch, he then with his back facing the bookshelf pushed the on the door to the passageway, he might not had had Snipe's strength but he still was able to open the doorway just enough for Raves and himself to pass through. The door closed and the two quickly made their way to the chamber time was of the essence.

"Look around we might just find something," he said his voice was serious, but he could not believe that Ravess of all people was letting him take charge. The young woman nodded and placed the torch in a holder that rested on one of the walls. The action opened another hidden door.

Looking into the newly open passageway Ace saw it had been recently used. 'Just how many secret rooms does this place have?' ace wonder as he and Ravess enter the passage.

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They made it to the end of the passageway and found a tall man in black standing on the outcropping looking out that the sky, next to him bond and gagged was Lark.

"Turn around," said Ace threateningly with his weapon at the ready. The man did as he was told ace Gasped now that the man was facing him.

"B-Baron," he stammered looking at the man. Baron was known through out the free Atmos as the best swordsman that had ever lived, but to Ravess he meant something else. To Cyclonians Baron was nothing more then a Talon killer, and it was to this man that Ravess and her Brother had lost their father.

"Well if it is not everyone's favorite traitor," said Baron laughing, " and what's this he has little a friend with him too."

"Let the Princess go," order Ravess baring her teeth at the older man, who looked amused at the look on her face.

"You girl are in no position to make demands, after all you wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious little Lark," he smirked. Ravess snarled at him and took one daring steep forward.

" One more steep, and Cyclonia will be looking for a new Princess," he said pulling Lark infront of him. Just then the Princess got one of her legs free and she managed to kick her captor in the shin.

"Your going to pay for that you little brat ," yelled Baron taking a swipe at the young girl, but sadly for him his blade was intercepted by Ace's weapon. As Ravess moved Lark out of the way the battle between Ace and Baron began.

"Boy, do you think it is wise to cross blades with me," asked Baron as his and the teen's sword meet once again. Ace said nothing, as he knew all to well that he was outclassed, outmatched and had less experience then the older man.

"Ravess," the girl cried and hugged her caretaker after the other finished removing her bounds. The young woman sighed her future leader was safe. Just then a cry from Ace bought their attention to the duel. Ravess had to protect Lark it was her job but she badly wanted to fight the man who killed her father.

"Now die," yelled Baron his blade had imbedded itself in to Ace's left solder.

"After you," said ace as he summoned all of his strength and plugged his own blade into Barons stomach and then twisted it. Baron's eyes rolled up back into his head and a small amount of blood dripped out of his mouth, his body then clasped to Ace's feet.

After Baron fell to the ground his weapon was pulled out of the teen's solder. Ace fell to his knees, with his hand grasping his wound as his blood covered the floor around him. Ravess rushed forward and stopped him from fall completely to the ground. He was barely conscious.

"Lark give me your cloak, then I need you to find help," she said as the young girl did what was asked of her. As lark ran to find help Ravess wrapped the cloth around the wound, it was a surprise to her that he even still had the limb as the weapon had cut deep into the bone. She was glad that she did not have to look at any more, as in sky duels you never got to see the damage up close and personal.

"R… ravess?," she looked down to see that he was still awake, he looked perplex to see her.

"Hush, save your strength," she replied looking at his deathly pale skin, he had lost a lot of blood, and so she applied more pressure to the injury. She had to try an stint the blood loss, or he would die.

Soon helped arrived and the medic took Ace to the infirmary, where he would live or die was still own known at the time. For the first time that night Ravess was able to get a good look at her father's killer and the man that hunted her dreams, but all she could think about was the boy who even the score for her and what was left of her family.


End file.
